Generation Next: New faces of Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture

Steve Adams

Monday

Mar 31, 2008 at 12:01 AMMar 31, 2008 at 6:15 AM

Larry and Rob Rubin are becoming the public faces of the Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture chain.

You’re probably familiar with Bernie and Phyl. Now it’s time to get to know Larry and Rob. Bernie and Phyllis Rubin, the founders of the Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture chain and the company’s longtime pitchpersons, are stepping away from the spotlight after nearly a quarter-century. Their sons, both Sharon residents who have had key roles running the company for decades, are ready to step to the forefront.

“We’re not looking at eliminating Bernie and Phyl totally out of the picture,” said Larry Rubin, 48, who has had the title of CEO for more than two years. “It’s just the normal transition to the next generation.”

The brothers grew up in Randolph and Weymouth and helped their father run a small trucking company, delivering furniture for Scott Gordon Furniture in Quincy. After the furniture store went out of business, Bernie Rubin decided to get into the retail side of the industry himself. In 1983, he opened the first Bernie & Phyl’s store in Quincy before relocating to a former shoe factory in Weymouth.

Bernie & Phyl’s has since expanded to six stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire with annual sales topping $100 million, enough to rank it among the top 100 furniture retailers in the U.S. The company has more than 400 employees at its stores and at its headquarters and distribution center in Norton.

It recently acquired a 12,000-square-foot former La-Z-Boy Furniture Gallery in Hyannis that is scheduled to reopen as Bernie & Phyl’s first Cape Cod store by the end of June.

Talking about their roles in the company in an interview, the two brothers sometimes finished each other’s sentences or blurted out phrases in unison, a reflection of their chummy family ties and long professional association.

Rob Rubin, who joined the company in 1985 shortly after graduating from Syracuse University, is vice president of marketing and merchandising.

After an initial career as an electrical engineer, Larry came aboard in his early 30s.

“I really wanted to control my own destiny and be part of an entity that I could really have an impact and control what happens,” he said. “When you’re an engineer working for somebody else, I would not have many of those controls.”

After Larry joined the company, Bernie & Phyl’s adopted a more ambitious retail strategy, opening larger “superstores” where furniture was sold in a showroom setting with accessories.

Rob is responsible for buying decisions and keeping up with consumer trends.

“The days of the formal living room or dining room (are passing),” he said. “It’s getting away from that more into the casual lifestyle today with the way everybody’s busy these days and multitasking.”

Less free time also means more demand for low-maintenance fabrics like microfiber and leather, he said.

The chain is perhaps best-known for the familiar “Quality, Comfort and Price (That’s Nice!)” jingle that it has used in its TV commercials since the 1990s. The jazzy riff was written by Open Skye Design, a Winchester-based ad agency.

Over the years, the Rubins appeared in many ads alongside local sports stars such as former New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri.

So infectious is the jingle that a group of travelers once serenaded Bernie Rubin with an off-key version after recognizing him at Los Angeles International Airport.

In addition to using Larry and Rob Rubin in recent TV spots, Bernie & Phyl’s is inviting the public to get involved. On March 15, more than 1,000 families showed up at a “casting call” at the Braintree store to audition their children to sing the jingle in a future Bernie & Phyl’s commercial.

The new ads are designed to appeal to female customers who wield much influence over furniture-buying decisions, Larry Rubin said. Further person-on-the-street ads are in the works.

Larry Rubin said his business strategy continues to be guided by the advice of his father, who just turned 70 and has stepped back from his day-to-day involvement in the business.

“My dad always says that a business can’t stand still,” he said. “You’re either going to go up or go down, and we always wanted to go forward and grow. We never want to stand still.”